Ben Ashwell, editor, IR Magazine
Ben Ashwell is the editor at IR Magazine and Corporate Secretary, covering investor relations, governance, risk and compliance. Prior to this, he was the founder and editor of Executive Talent, the global quarterly magazine from the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants. Before moving to the US, Ben was the vice president and editor at Executive Grapevine, overseeing a daily news website, ten annual supplements and HR Grapevine, the UK’s leading HR and talent management magazine. In his spare time, Ben writes fiction, poetry and arts and culture reviews. Eyewear Publishing recently named him in their list of the Best New British and Irish Poets.
Karen Greene, vice president of customer experience, Q4
Karen is an Investor Relations Partner at Q4, working closely with clients as an advisor. Bringing close to 30 years of experience as a senior executive overseeing investor relations and marketing communications for large to small cap and newly public companies, Karen has managed organizations through a wide range of hurdles, milestones and challenges. Karen’s career in Investor Relations includes time at CIGNA Insurance, Safeguard Scientifics, Internet Capital Group (rebranded to Actua), and Hamilton Lane.
Karen has demonstrated success in targeting and transforming the investor base of publicly traded companies, helping them gain a broader, more aligned following. She has also led IR teams through the IPO process, helping them establish IR plans, budgets and workflow required as a public company. Additionally, Karen brings first-hand knowledge and best practices for how to successfully navigate through a wide range of investor relations issues such as missed earnings guidance, M&A, activist activity, restructurings, strategic shifts, rebrands and corporate governance.
Karen has an MBA from Temple University Fox School of Business/Boston University School of Business and a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Rochester.
Chad Reed, vice president, investor relations and ESG, Hannon Armstrong
Chad leads investor relations and ESG strategy for Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI), a leading investor in climate change solutions.
Previously, he served in various roles, including structured finance, risk management, and investor relations, with TerraForm Power – an integrated renewable energy company now owned by Brookfield Asset Management. Chad is also a co-founder of and current Board member with Blue Forest Finance, a non-profit focused on harnessing financial innovation to design sustainable solutions to systemic climate resilience challenges. Chad started his career as an intelligence officer operating primarily in the Middle East.
Chad holds degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and the George Washington University.
Katie Royce, global head of investor relations, Cognizant
Katie Royce is the Global Head of Investor Relations at Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) where she is responsible for developing and executing all aspects of the company’s investor relations program. Prior to joining Cognizant, Katie was Director of Investor Relations at Cantor Commercial Real Estate (CCRE) where she was responsible for private institutional investor relationships as well as corporate bond holders and rating agencies. Previously, she was the Investor Relations Manager at Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGI). Katie began her career on the buy-side as an equity research analyst.
Katie holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Richmond. She earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and a professional Certificate in Investor Relations from New York University. She is a member of the board of directors of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), serves on NIRI’s Steering Committee for the Senior Roundtable and was previously the President for the NIRI NY Chapter.
